Simon Manning has been promoted to senior vice president, chief sales and marketing officer of Langham Hospitality Group, from his previous position as vice president, sales and marketing.
Muhammad Alan Yuslan
Muhammad Alan Yuslan is now general manager of Cachet Resort Dewa Phuket. He possesses more than 16 years of international hospitality management experience.
Craig Syphers
Pan Pacific Hotels Group has appointed Craig Syphers as general manager for Parkroyal on Beach Road, Singapore. He last helmed Pan Pacific Orchard.
Christian Westbeld
Raffles Hotel Singapore has appointed Christian Westbeld as its general manager. Westbeld brings with him nearly 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry spanning Germany, Bangkok, Manila, Dubai, Singapore, Beijing and more.
Andrew Donadel
Andrew Donadel is now general manager of Pan Pacific Orchard. He began his career with the company as the general manager of Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Beach Road, Singapore and Parkroyal Serviced Suites, Singapore. He was most recently with Parkroyal Saigon.
Over coffee with Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya
You are TCEB’s new president but you aren’t new at all to the organisation. How will this make you a special leader?
I’ve been in this industry for a long time. I started with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and was among the pioneer team at TCEB (he started in 2004 as senior manager, meeting & incentive department, and rose through the ranks).
Most of the past presidents were people from outside of the industry. I don’t mean that they weren’t right for us. I’ve learnt much from them but I also had the chance to see where the problems were for us, the challenges they faced then.
I eventually chose to run for presidency because I’ve fallen too much in love with Thailand’s business events industry, and I have ideas to strengthen it.
What are your ideas?
Before I answer that, let me show you some numbers.
Over the last decade, Thailand has made approximately 150 billion baht (US$4.5 billion) in revenue from the business events industry, both domestic and international. The business events industry created 164,000 jobs and brought the government around 10.5 billion baht in taxes.
Tourism and business events grow at different pace. Business events growth follows the country’s investments and trade. It boosts tourism performance, but the two are not the same.
The problem for us is that many people still see business events and tourism as one and the same. I’ve been trying to explain their difference to both the government and the private sector. Even the UNWTO defines business events as a component of tourism, which (deepens) the misunderstanding.
The top-level people in the government needs to understand the definition of business events in order to give it the right attention and support for development.
Are you making progress?
Well, we have succeeded in seating TCEB right under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) which bodes well for business events related policies. Our deputy prime minister is a strong advocate. He spoke up for us in parliament last month (July), insisting that TCEB must sit under the PMO.
So what’s next for you?
Many, but the top two things on my agenda are the creation of a stronger marketing division and greater support for destination development and domestic trade.
For the first, I’m pushing for budget in FY2018 to create and support a division that brings together under one roof digital and traditional marketing roles that are currently in different departments in TCEB. This will allow a more coordinated approach to TCEB’s marketing efforts.
This division will also be supported by researchers and innovators. For example, I hope to develop an internal application that allows our staff to easily identify suitable event venues in the country. I also hope to invest in technology that allows us to more accurately measure our performance at trade events.
Still on the topic of marketing, TCEB will adopt a very targeted approach. You will see us engaging targeted groups through events, such as what we have done with PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) for the 2017 PCMA Global Professionals Conference (August 28-31, where select chief executives of international trade associations were in attendance). We’ve stopped participation in general trade shows like AIME. We will be more selective in where we go.
For the second, TCEB will appoint area managers in emerging Thai destinations like Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai to develop (small trade shows) that will grow the destination for business events as well as advance local businesses. These managers will not just be an events expert; they must have the mind of an economist, to be able to see how jobs could be created for the locals.
Why the focus on domestic shows?
While TCEB’s main responsibility is to bring in international business events and delegates, we must never forget the importance of inclusive growth. We need to also help develop domestic enterprises, so we can all share in the benefits.
Can you give me an example of how TCEB will do this?
The Lanna Expo (an annual trade show that focuses on products and services originating from the Northern Thai provinces) has been ongoing for seven years and is an excellent example of what TCEB intends to do.
In the first four years of the show, exhibitors displayed home-made sausages next to coffee beans and home-spun cloth. The fifth year TCEB stepped in and we helped them hire an organiser who guided the show towards a better structure, such that there was a component each for food, clothing and spa, among others. The structure then was still B2C.
The sixth year we started to host members of the different Thai chambers of commerce as well as traders from Myanmar and Laos. This led to a start in B2B focus.
This year, we are pouring four million baht into research to boost the show’s B2B focus.
Isn’t that the job of a national or city-level economic development board?
For the Lanna Expo, TCEB works closely with Chiang Mai’s Ministry of Commerce. We have to take the lead because the ministry isn’t able to bring the show’s focus beyond the domestic market, to acquire the foreign buyer presence, and to push domestic trade shows and the local trade they support into the international marketplace.
We are only there to help, not to step on anyone’s toes. We want Lanna Expo to become an independent international trade show.
The private sector must first have the will to head in this direction and the local chamber of commerce must want to go global. TCEB can only play a supporting role.
TCEB has just started a trade show in Chiang Mai that focuses on coffee and bakery, and our wish is for it to thrive and expand, and eventually gain independence. TCEB can then let go and allow it to further grow on its own, or through an international show organiser should one buys it over.
What sort of industries will TCEB be keen on?
TCEB isn’t just interested in supporting OTOP (One Tambon One Product, a local entrepreneurship sustainability programme) type of initiatives. We would like to also grow a local ceramic trade show, a silk trade show, an automation trade show or any trade show for industries aligned with the Thailand 4.0 policy (an economic model launched in 2016 to develop Thailand into a value-based, smart economy).
And that is why we need an area manager who can look at his region and project where the economic growth potential is for the local people and local businesses.
Does Thailand have sufficient professional trade show players of international standards to allow your vision to come true?
No, not beyond Bangkok. But beyond Bangkok, local players are working very hard to scale up their service standards and expertise in event management. They still need a lot of support from TCEB.
Khun Nichapa (Yoswee, director, MICE capabilities, TCEB) has made good progress, but we still need to do more.
Do you mean conducting more training and accreditation workshops?
Not just that, TCEB needs to give local PCOs a chance. We will try our best not to use PCOs from Bangkok when we have an event in, say, Chiang Mai.
It is easier for TCEB to take the lead in this approach than to convince international planners to engage a local PCO they’ve not heard of. TCEB will be the one to help build the expertise of local PCOs.
There are increasingly more city-level PCOs, which is good. Also, we need to trust that they can do a good job and leave them to think on their own.
The president’s four directions:
- Growing in parallel with the development of the country, which focuses on keeping the current market and finding new markets by placing MICE in parallel with the development of the country’s economy, pulling the MICE industry into other target industries, such as those covered by Thailand 4.0, as well as into special economic areas.
- Growing in a high potential market, focusing on the regions that have high growth and strong connection with the development of Thailand’s economy, such as ASEAN, Greater Mekong Subregion, East Asia/South Asia and Australia/New Zealand.
- Growing with equality, by increasing the opportunities for the MICE industry growth in provinces that have potential, such as Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Pattaya/Chonburi and Songkhla.
- Growing strongly, which involves the development of the internal system to meet the needs of the market, developing the organisation and regulations to better support the industry in the future.”
One minute with Chikako Shimizu
You started your career in hospitality as a café waitress at Hyatt Regency Osaka, rising far up today as director of operations. What made you stick with this industry for so long?
It was my passion to connect with people and from a young age, I always knew my calling was to be working outside of Japan and travelling the world. I always enjoy interacting with people from all walks of life as I find that a hospitality career experience offers exactly that. I think there aren’t many jobs in the world that would allow me the opportunity to hear incredible personal stories and be part of their memories from all over the world!
You’ve held a variety of roles. How do you think this has helped you in advancing your career in the hospitality industry?
Hyatt is not only a great place to work, it is also a great place to grow, in terms of career advancement. For every role that I have taken on, the training sessions are often carefully curated to ensure that I am equipped with the right knowledge, skills and attitude in order to deliver my best and move on to greater roles as I progress. Hyatt has crafted a career with and for me that’s based on my interests and strengths. Plus, my superiors have always been (and still are) very encouraging and supportive towards me in my journey – they are like my extended family; distant relatives.
Security is among your responsibilities as director of operations. Is this a responsibility new to you?
The security aspect is indeed new to me and fortunately for me here at Andaz Singapore, I have a stellar team of experienced individuals and I rely on them to perform the jobs they are great at. We have a security manager who has more than 40 years of experience, and he has been an integral part in our pre-opening phase and I am learning so much from him.
W Taipei, Taiwan
Rising from the heart of Taipei’s glitzy Xinyi Shopping District, W Taipei exudes the city’s upbeat and friendly spirit. It sits above the Taipei City Hall Station and is a 10-minute walk to Taipei 101.
Rooms The 405-key hotel is brimming with playful design, from the audio and visual spectacle within its lifts to fun furnishings within its guestrooms.
I stayed in the 43m2-large Wonderful Room, which features floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows that afforded me sweeping views of the city and its mountainous horizon.
“Surprise Me”, quips the text on a cupboard door that opens into a mini-bar – which comes with a “mixologist laboratory” for adventurous alcoholic creations – and a tri-fold full-length mirror greets you as you’re done preening in the bathroom.
A magazine rack comes fully stocked with glossies covering travel, fashion and automobile news. For its prime city location, the room is extremely spacious.
Meeting facilities Poised to receive meeting, incentive and familiarisation groups alike, the hotel has 10 meeting spaces spread across levels eight, nine and 11.
The largest venue is the Mega Room on level eight. Measuring 1,039m2, it can seat 950 people in a theatre-setting or 804 guests for banquets. There is also a VIP room on the same floor for a 10-pax reception.
For meeting planners, W Taipei offers two packages: Meetings Couture and the Go Green – Sustainable Meeting Package.
Meetings Couture allows organisers to customise their meeting plans, down to F&B courses and AV equipment.
The Go Green – Sustainable Meeting Package lets environmentally conscious planners design an event with offerings such as energy-efficient digital signage, tailor-made menus using locally sourced produce and exclusive MRT cards for delegates to explore the city with.
Event planners may want to sign their delegates up for the 2017 Wired Plus promotion, which includes complimentary Wi-Fi within the hotel, buffet breakfast, discounted spa services and an in-room white noise machine for restful sleep.
Other facilities Complimentary Internet access is provided throughout the hotel, and complimentary high-speed Internet is extended to Starwood Preferred Guests.
Corporates will appreciate the WIRED Business Centre. Open from 07.00 to 22.00 daily, the centre provides computer stations, high-speed Internet access, printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, translation services and complimentary printing of boarding passes.
Event planners can take advantage of the hotel’s convenient Whatever/Whenever concierge service, to fulfill almost any demand – be it booking cooking lessons or seats to a concert – at a moment’s notice.
For workout junkies, W Taipei has a 24-hour Fit Gym with steam and sauna, as well as a 25m-long outdoor heated pool.
The staff live up to the brand’s amicable and approachable spirit, and always receive queries and requests with a smile. The SPG Pro counter staff let me circumvent the check-in queue, and I was granted late check-out at a moment’s notice.
Room count 405
Star rating Five
Contact www.wtaipei.com
Taipei’s new direction
As Taiwan sees a shrinking volume of Mainland Chinese travellers, event and venue operators in Taipei are reinventing their offerings to woo South-east Asian crowds.
MEET Taiwan – the business events promotion agency under the Bureau of Foreign Trade – is taking the lead by ramping up its promotional efforts aimed at South-east Asia, said Nana Di, project manager, convention section II, Taiwan World Trade Centre Exhibition and Convention Operation Department of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).
These include twice-yearly SENSE Taiwan fam trips dedicated to South-east Asian buyers and increasing its networking roadshows in the region to twice a year.
TAITRA has also been working closely with ICCA to conduct workshops that educate suppliers and organisers on how to better bid for international conferences, said Di.
Under Taiwan’s tourism bureau, the BEST (Business Events in Surprising Taiwan) Rewards Programme has also been introduced to entice organisers and conference groups with inspection subsidies, visa application counselling, MEET Taiwan discount cards and more.
This comes after the launch of the Southbound Policy, which provides subsidies, administrative assistance, souvenirs and more for incentive groups hailing from the 10 South-east Asian countries, six nations in South Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The government also plans to extend visa-free privilege to Filipinos within this year.
Thanks to the policy, arrival numbers have picked up significantly from source markets such as Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, said industry players.
“There was a 50 per cent drop in Chinese visitors in 1H2016 as compared to the same period in 2015,” said Kitty Wong, president of K&A International. “But (arrivals from) other countries have made up for it.”
Capitalising on this, K&A is eyeing incentive groups from Muslim markets in Asia, the Middle East and UAE.
Meanwhile, Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel has been receiving more incentive and meeting groups from the Philippines and Thailand, said Betty Tsai, its director of sales and marketing.
Tsai observed that corporates from these countries often favour local experiences such as visiting the Huashan and Songshan Cultural and Creative Parks, cycling and experiencing the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival.
To stay competitive, Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel has transformed its two basement levels into a dedicated event space, comprising a Grand Ballroom for about 1,000 pax, a Chinese restaurant and eight breakout rooms.
W Taipei is also pulling its weight with bespoke meeting packages for event planners, said general manager Harvey Thompson. These include Meeting Couture, which gives planners full customisation power within the hotel’s spaces, as well as the Sustainable Meeting Package which includes eco-friendly perks like public transport cards and CSR activities.
“Meetings have moved away from the meeting room setting. Now the experience is about being loungey, unique and something you don’t see every day,” Thompson told TTGmice.
“W Hotel has a young and more playful approach in our design. We want people to enjoy the space, which can help them relax and be focused,” he added.
The new high-speed rail link from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre (TNEC) has also helped draw tradeshows and corporate events to the city, observed assistant vice president of GIS Group, Amber Chen.
Coming up, TNEC will have its second hall built by 2018.
The government is also seeking to open up more conserved heritage sites and buildings, with MEET Taiwan increasing dialogues with heritage venues, hoteliers and conference organisers.
Examples of heritage buildings in Taipei that have welcomed private corporate events include The Red House, Taipei Story House and Huashan 1914 Creative Park, with the last one providing up to 2,000 seats and eight function rooms.
Chen said: “Taipei needs more unique spaces, such as museums or historical buildings, for companies to hold offsite gala dinners. Areas like Songshan Park are not big enough, and clients want something more exciting compared to exhibition centres.”
Getting heritage venues to open up is a challenge, remarked Di, who explained that the preservation of these landmarks alone is difficult, hence venue owners are often reluctant to host large delegate groups. Still, TAITRA is working on making more of such historical venues available, especially for receptions and gala dinners, said Di.
Singapore – a specialised events city
At least one tradeshow organiser in land-scarce Singapore is at the crossroads. With space requirements breaching the capacity of the existing venue, at around 100,000m2, its 2018 event will be taking up everything it can get at two different locations.
Billed as two venues, one mega show, the biennial 2018 Food & Hotel Asia (FHA), organised by UBM SES, will occupy the 100,000m2 SingEx, the 12,000m2 MAX Atria @ Singapore EXPO, and 37,000m2 at Suntec Singapore’s level three, four and six.
For Paul Wan, managing director, UBM SES and UBM Singapore, top of his wish list is for Singapore to have one single purpose-built exhibition venue with gross capacity of between 150,000m2 and 200,000m2.
The Sands Expo and Convention Centre, which hosts an average of 70 tradeshows and more than 3,000 events annually, is also wanting an expansion so that it can facilitate and accommodate the growth of its existing tradeshows and the needs of new-to-Singapore tradeshows, said Ong Wee Min, executive director of sales, Marina Bay Sands (MBS).
When asked what Singapore should do, an industry consultant opined: “It is a fair moment to start looking at infrastructure expansion if there is 70 per cent utilisation.”
In its reply, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said Singapore is not “just targeting large-scale events”.
Andrew Phua, director, exhibitions and conferences, STB, pointed out the aim is “to attract quality business events that deliver innovative and rich content, draw a diverse and growing stream of visitors” from sectors such as biomedical sciences and healthcare, environment and energy, infocomm technology and media, and to establish the city as a premier MICE hub anchored on thought leadership and business opportunities”.
Mark Cochrane, regional manager, UFI The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, said Singapore may not need a mega facility and can continue to grow by aiming for niche B2B tradeshows combined with high-end conferences.
Singapore is able to provide creative solutions for event owners looking for flexible venues and unconventional meeting spaces, Phua added. “We will also continue to work with our MICE stakeholders to identify opportunities to create, grow, and anchor more quality events, and to improve industry networks globally.”
Singapore, with its well established infrastructure, ecosystem for the business events industry and a good reputation for hosting professionally organised events has many strengths as a business events hub, according to Edward Liu, group managing director, Conference and Exhibition Management Services Singapore.
“However, our major weakness is our relatively small market size. Quite frankly, this (tradeshows) is very much a numbers game. China and India have the population and huge markets for most products and services. Most European organisers have been replicating their more established events in these two countries and have been giving Singapore the miss,” Liu pointed out.
Aloysius Arlando, CEO, SingEx, added: “Our relatively small market size means we are heavily dependent on international trade conditions to thrive, although this provides us with the perfect blend of openness and agility to play an incubator role in the development of new technology and ideas through trade events.
“Our survival instincts brought on from our nation-building experience, coupled with nimbleness and farsightedness, give us an advantage in the MICE space through strong adaptability, speed to market and therefore a firm international footing in today’s changing market conditions.”
So if it is not about size, what are the opportunities for Singapore?
Arlando opined: “At SingEx, it is critical for us to understand what the key and likely drivers are for the future economy and the marketplace they serve. Our knowledge of key industries driving the region’s economies and close networks forged over the years enable us to understand market needs and changing demand intimately.
“High growth industries like technology – IoT (Internet of Things), fintech, and environment and sustainability are fast emerging but there are also other verticals that we have been active in for some time in which new or converging industries present fresh opportunities to develop market-relevant event platforms.
“Last Mile Fulfilment Asia is a perfect example of a trade event borne out of new market needs due to converging industries. Another prime example is healthcare.”
Similarly, MBS’s Ong observed growth in cyber security tradeshows, driven by the demand for more sophisticated cyber security considerations as more businesses seek to protect their data, online engagement activities and financial transactions for their communities.
Ong said: “Fintech is a new hot growth sector. As a regional financial hub, Singapore continues to attract and host major global finance events – such as the new-to-Singapore Money20/20 tradeshow, which will make its Asian debut at Sands Expo and Convention Centre next year.
“Singapore’s biggest strength is its focus on new technologies, research and development (R&D) and innovation – all of which will gear us up for growth and drive the possible creation of new tradeshows in these new sectors.
“The modern tradeshow of today is already taking an upstream approach, with content designed to address the innovation and R&D efforts in transforming traditional sectors like F&B, medical, maritime and finance.
“Looking ahead, we are likely to see the tradeshows of tomorrow integrating the innovation elements of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and predictive analytics and examining how these new technologies will transform the different industries.”
UBM’s Wan opined: “Emerging technologies such as AI, AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), robotics, etc, will be the key components to many companies’ growth strategy. As such, NXTAsia, the new event within ConnecTechAsia to showcase emerging technologies and enterprise solutions will be a hot bed for many digital innovations.
“Cyber security is also crucial during digital transformation, it is even a key component of national defence.”
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